Portable hair dryer

ABSTRACT

A motor driven blower for use in supplying heated air to a flexible, double walled hat having provisions to support the motor driven blower centrally on the bonnet as it is worn on the head of the user. The motor driven blower is made up of two cupshaped housing portions which enclose a motor driven fan and heater which draws air into the housing, heats it and discharges it from an annular opening formed by the spaced walls of the two housing portions.

United States Patent Waters et 'al.

[ Aug. 20, 1974 Division of Ser. No. 127,666, March 24, 1971, Pat. No.3,727,321.

[52] US. Cl 219/368, 34/99, 165/125,

219/364, 219/370, 219/374, 219/376 [51] Int. Cl. H05b 3/00, A45d 20/38,F24h 3/04 [58] Field of Search 219/366-377, 219/379-381, 359-364;34/96-101, 243; 165/124-126 [56] References Cited FOREIGN PATENTS ORAPPLlCATlONS Primary Examiner-A. Bartis Attorney, Agent, or Firm-GeorgeR. Clark; Neil M. Rose; John S. Pacocha [5 7 ABSTRACT A motor drivenblower for use in supplying heatcd air to a flexible, double walled hathaving provisions to support the motor driven blower centrally on thebonnet as it is worn on the head of the user. The motor driven blower ismade up of two cup-shaped housing portions which enclose a motor drivenfan and heater which draws. air into the housing, heats it anddischarges it from an annular opening formed by the spaced walls of thetwo housing portions.

9 Claims, 12 Drawing Figures 869,579 5/1961 Great Britain 219/368 I 1169 j 3 215 1 92 7 I; g H 38 N ,1 E7 1 9 I 5g 22 6'2 100 t l 95 66. 71 r8? i y 85 6 i 83 t 23 r 87 r '82 7; P

- 83161 If a PAIENIED W I (3)031 .000

' sum 2m s PORTABLE HAIR DRYER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONThisapplication is a division of US. application Se r. No. 127,666,filed Mar. 24, 1971 Now US Pat. No. 3,727,321 and is assigned to thesame assignee as the parent application.

The invention is concerned with a portable hair drying appliance of thetype having a motor driven blower to circulate heated air through thehair of the user to dry the same. At the present time, there are severalbroad types of portable home hair dryers on the market, one of thesetypes being characterized by having a hat or bonnet made of an airimpervious material and formed to provide a manifold through whichheated air is circulated to various portions of the head. At the outset,these so-called soft hat hair dryers included a motor driven blowerwhich was connected to the soft hat or bonnet by means of a flexibleconduit through which the heated air was circulated from the blower tothe manifold within the hat.

In order to simplify the design and eliminate need for the rather bulkyflexible air conduit from the motor driven blower to the bonnet, therehave been hair dryers manufactured and sold in which the motor drivenblower unit is attached directly to .the hair dryer bonnet. An exampleof one such hair dryer is shown in Taylor US. Pat. No. 3,383,700.

One of the problems associated with hair dryers of the type shown in theTaylor patent is the fact that there is no convenient place to supportthe motor driven blower when it is attached directly to the hat. In someinstances, such as in the Taylor patent, the motor driven blower is madeas small as possible to minimize the problem created by the motor drivenblower hanging from the hat and tending to disturb the carefully styledhair which is being dried. Nevertheless, the weight of the motor drivenblower hanging at the back of the cap is annoying and tends to displacethe hat and to disturb the set of the hair.

Another approach to the problem of supporting the motor driven blower onthe hat is disclosed in Parker US. Pat. No. 3,032,891 in which aseparate supporting frame is provided within the flexible hat to supportthe blower spaced above the head and hair of the user. Such an approachis less than satisfactory since it complicates the structure of the hairdryer considerably and complicates the problem of applying the hat tothe hair after it has been set. Both the Taylor and Parker patents alsohave other disadvantages flowing from the lack of proper means tocirculate the air to the various portions of the hair being dried.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The hair dryer of the instant inventionprovides an improved means of supporting a motor driven blower on aflexible hair drying bonnet in such a way that it is virtuallyweightless as far as the user is concerned and so that it is arranged ina manner to provide optimum circulation of air to the various portionsof the hair being dried. The housing for the motor driven blower is madesomewhat pancake in shape with the housing being connected to theflexible hat around its periphery in such a manner that approximatelyhalf of the housing protrudes outwardly from the hat while the otherhalf is positioned within the hat. The hat itself is of such dimensionsthat when the manifold contained therein inflates, the outer layer ofthe hat expands outwardly from the head of the user and thereby tends tosupport the motor driven blower and its housing in spaced relation tothe head and hair of the user. Accordingly, the motor driven blower issupported, at least in part, by the cushion of air pumped into themanifold of the bonnet by the motor driven blower.

The housing of the motor driven blower is formed with a slightperipheral flange which snaps into engagement with a semiflexible frameheat sealed to the flexible bonnet. This construction permits the motordriven blower and its housing to be readily disengaged from the bonnetso that the bonnet may be washed or replaced. The housing for the motordriven blower comprises two cup-shaped members which are assembled toprovide air circulation in one direction through the motor and then in areverse direction to the peripheral opening which lies between theadjacent edges of the two housing halves. This arrangement providesoptimum distribution of the air to all points of the bonnet by virtue ofthe location of the motor driven blower in the middle of the crownportion of the hat.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide animproved portable hair dryer of the type having a motor driven blowermounted directly on a flexible hat or bonnet.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improvedsoft hat hair dryer having a motor driven blower unit which isdetachably mounted directly on the soft hat.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide an improvedportable hair dryer of the type in which the motor driven blower unit isconnected directly to the flexible hat and wherein the weight of themotor driven blower unit is supported by a cushion of air formed withinthe hat manifold.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a portable hairdryer having a motor driven blower unit mounted in the crown portion ofa flexible hat including an air distribution manifold and wherein theblower unit discharges the air around the periphery of a flat pancakehousing.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide an improvedmotor driven blower unit for a hair dryer wherein the housing thereforis formed by the cup-shaped housings which mount a heater supportinginsulating plate therebetween and which are spaced apart so that theheated air is discharged around the entire periphery of the housing.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will becomeapparent as the following description proceeds and the features ofnovelty which characterize the invention will be pointed out with moreparticularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of thisspecification.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS For a better understanding of thepresent invention, reference may be had to the accompanying drawings inwhich:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a hair dryer embodying our invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken substantially online 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially along line 2-2of FIG. 1 but showing the motor driven blower and housingin full linesas well as the head of the user;

FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially along line 4-4of FIG. 3 showing the motor driven blower and its housing in full lines;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged top plan view of the hair dryer showing the motordriven blower and the adjacent portions of the hair dryer hat withportions of the motor driven blower housing cut away to expose theinternal portions thereof;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary vertical section taken substantially along line6-6 of FIG. 5 assuming FIG. 5 shows the complete structure of the motordriven blower unit.

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on line 7--7 of FIG. 5',

FIG. 8 is a layout drawing showing the shape of the hat material priorto its being heat sealed but after having been blanked;

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary sectional view of an inflated portion of the hatmanifold;

FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken on line 10-l0 of FIG. 8;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the flexible hat with the motor drivenblower unit detached therefrom; and

FIG. 12 is a schematic circuit diagram of the electrical circuit for thehair dryer embodying our invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawings,there is shown a portable home hair dryer which is designated generallyby reference numeral 20. The hair dryer includes a flexible hat orbonnet 21 which is made up of an outer impervious layer 22 and an innerperforate layer 23. The outer and inner layers 22 and 23 are formed of asuitable vinyl plastic which will be impervious to the air enclosedbetween the two layers and which'may be readily washed. The outer andinner layers 22 and 23 are of identical shape and are blanked in asomewhat starshaped form shown in 'FIG. 8 providing a plurality ofoutwardly extending projections 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, and 30. The adjacentedges of the layers 22 and 23 are heat sealed to provide continuous seamforming a manifold therebetween having manifold projections which extendoutwardly from the central or crown portion of the hat 21.

As may also be seen in FIG. 8, the inner layer 23 is provided with aplurality of perforations 32 which are dispersed more or less evenlyover the entire portion of the hat 21. To prevent ripping or tearing ofthe heat sealed plastic in the area between the projections 25, 26, 27,28, 29, and 30, reinforced sealing areas 33 are provided in a somewhatcircular form as is evident from FIG. 8. In order to form the layers 22and 23 into the cup-shaped form which will receive the head of the user,the adjacent heat sealed edges of the projections 25, 26, 27, 28, 29,and 30 are themselves heat sealed together in overlapped relation as at35 to form the hat 21, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 11. FIGS. 9 and 10illustrate the manner in which the mouth of the formed hat 21 isreinforced by the application of a folded over strip 34 which isstitched to the heat sealed edge of the hat to prevent tearing of thevinyl material.

The outer layer 22 of the hat 21 is formed with a generally hexagonalopening 37 positioned centrally between the projections 25 through 30.Secured to the outer layer 22 along the edges defining opening 37 is alight, flexible vinyl frame 38 which is formed with a central opening39. The purpose of the vinyl frame 38 is to detachably mount a motordriven blower unit 40 in sealed position in the opening 37 in the outerlayer 22 of the bonnet 21. The blower 40 is provided with a housing 41which consists of an outer or cover portion 42 and an inner housingportion 43. The cover portion 42 of the housing is generally conical inshape having sloping side walls 44 which terminate inwardly at a centralopening 45 which serves as the air inlet opening for the motor drivenblower 40.

Extending downwardly from the opening 45 is a fan shroud 46 which isgenerally cylindrical in configuration and closely encloses a fan 50. Inorder to prevent engagement of the fan 50 by the hands or fingers of theuser, a protective grill 5] is formed in the opening 45 by a pluralityof radially extending fins 52 which extend from a hub 53 outwardly intoengagement with the walls of cover portion 42 defining the centralopening 45.

The outermost edge of the cover portion 42 of the housing is formed witha cylindrical flange 54 which is adpated to be received snugly withinthe opening 39 fonned in the mounting frame 38. For the purpose ofdetachably retaining the motor =,driven blower 40"with respect to the"vinyl frame .38, the housing 41 has formed on the walls 44 adjacent tothe flange 54 a plurality of peripherally spaced latching projections 55which extend into holes 56 formed in the vinyl frame 38, as is bestshown in FIG. 6. When all of the six latching projections 55 are snappedinto engagement in the holes 56, as shown in FIG. 6, the motor drivenblower 40 is securely attached to the frame 38 and the adjacent portionsof the hat 21. The flexibility of the frame 38 permits the motor drivenblower 40 to be quickly and easily removed from the hat 21 without theaid of any tools when the user finds it necessary to wash the hat 21. Inthe assembled position on the hat 21, the cover portion 42 of the motordriven blower 40 is sealed to the frame 38 by virtue of the flange 54which extends through the opening 39 in the frame 38 and by the factthat the outer terminus of the walls 44 is formed by a projecting wallor shoulder 57. The wall 57 forms a hexagonal frame and extends intoengagement with an upstanding bead 58 formed on the frame 38, as

is best shown in FIG. 11.

The inner housing portion 43 is of generally cupshaped configurationhaving a bottom wall 60 and upwardly extending side walls 61 whichterminate at an upper circular lip 62. The bottom wall 60 is formed withthree equally spaced upwardly extending projections 63 (one of which isshown in FIG. 6) which extend into engagement with correspondingdepending projections 64 formed on the cover portion 42 of the housing41. Assembly screws 65 extend through the projections 63 into threadedengagement with the projections 64 to retain the housing portions 42 and43 assembled, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 6. In this assembled position, thelip 62 on the inner housing portion 43 is spaced inwardly from theflange 54 providing a continuous annular space or opening 66 throughwhich air may be delivered from within the housing 41 to the manifoldformed by the hat 21.

Mounted within the housing 41 below fan 50 is a motor 67 which issupported on the bottom wall 60 of the inner housing portion 43. Thebottom wall 60 is formed with integral projections and recesses withreceive and locate the various portions of the motor 67 as will beexplained in greater detail below. The motor 67 includes a rotaryarmature 68 including an armature shaft 69 which extends upwardly intodriving and supporting engagementwiththe fan 50. Surrounding thearmature 68 is a cylindrical permanent magnet field 70 which issupported by an inverted cup-shaped frame member 71. The frame member 71has an upper wall 72 into which is press fitted a bronze bearing 73which journals the upper end of the armature shaft.

The lower end of the frame 71 is formed with a peripheral flange 74which is supported on upwardly extending curved posts 75 which arestepped at their upper ends to extend partially with the cylindrical endof frame 71 as well as to support the flange 74. In order to secure theframe 71'to the inner housing portion 43, there are provided twodiametrically positioned, upwardly extending bosses 76 which receiveassembly screws 77, the head of which overlie the flange 74,as bestshown in FIGS. 5 and 6. The lower end of the armature shaft 69 isjoumalled by a spherical bearing 78 which is received in a pocket 79formed in the bottom wall 60. The bearing 78 is retained in position bya U- shaped bearing retainer 80. The central portion of the U-shapedretainer 80 engages the bearing 78, as shown in FIG. 6, and the upwardlyextending legs thereof engage the flange 74 of the frame 71 therebyurging the retainer 80 into seated engagement against bearing 78.

The motor 67 includes a commutator 82 which is positioned immediatelyabove the lower armature bearing 78, as best shown in FIG. 2. Mounted onthe bottom wall 60 and positioned to engage the commutator 82 are a pairof radially extending carbon brushes 83 which are slidably supported inupwardly facing channels 84 formed in the bottom wall 60 of the innerhousing portion 43. The brushes 83 are provided with suitable biasingsprings 85 and pigtail connectors 86. In order to retain the brushes 83and their biasing springs 85 in seated position within the channels 84,there are provided cover plates87 which are retained in position byscrews 88 and extend inwardly overlying and closing the channels 84. Byforming the channels 84 integrally with the inner housing portion 43,there is provided a simple and effective means for supporting thebrushes 83 in an easily accessible position within the housing 41. Insummary, it should be noted that the'motor 67 and its various componentsare supported by the integrally formed portions of the bottom wall 60 ofthe inner housing portion 43.

The motor 67 serves to rotate the fan 50 at a relatively' high velocityso that the angled blades of the fan 50 draw air inwardly through theopening 45 in the cover portion 42 of the housing 41. The scroll 46tends to direct and restrict the movement of the air drawn in. Afterpassing the inner edge of the cylindrical scroll 46, the air divideswith some of it passing radially outwardly toward the annular dischargeopening as shown by the arrows in FIG. 2. Some of the air,'however, isurged downwardly thereby passing across the motor 67. Supportedwithin-the air stream is a heater assembly 90 which consists of a micacard 91 having a generally hexagonal outer configuration and beingprovided with a central opening 92. The card 91 is formed with threemounting openings 93 through which the upper ends of the projections 63extend, as is best shown in FIG. 6. The three projections 63 are formedwith ends of reduced diameter, as indicated at 94, thereby provided ashoulder which limits axial movement of the card 91 with respect to themotor 67.

The heater assembly includes a low wattage heating element 95 and a highwattage heating element 96, both of which consists of helical coils ofresistance wire which extend around the periphery of the card 91 and areinterlaced with the card extending through slots 98 in the card therebypresenting adjacent sections of the elements positioned above and belowthe card 91 as shown in H6. 5. The slots 98 are formed with ovalshapedinner ends 98a through which the element 95 extends and intermediateenlargements 98b through which the larger, higher wattage element 96extends. To minimize the possibilities of short circuiting the twoheating elements, the adjacent portions of the low and high wattageelements are positioned on opposite sides of the card 91, as is evidentfrom FIG. 5. Also mounted on the card 91 and included with the heaterassembly 90 is'a safety thermostat 97 and a rectifier 99 which are shownin FIG. 5 and schematically in FIG. 12.

Also mounted on the projections 63 and adjacent to the heater assembly90 is a cylindrical baffle 100 which surrounds and is spaced outwardlyfrom the motor 67, as is best shown in FIGS. 2, 5, and 6. Thecylindrical baffle 100 has three integrally formed apertured ears 101which extend outwardly from the upper end thereof, as shown in FIG. 6,to be received on the reduced diameter portions 94 of the projections63. The purpose of the cylindrical baffle 100 is to direct air whichflows axially with respect to the motor 67 downwardly toward the bottomwall 60 so as to obtain satisfactory cooling of the motor by the airwhich has passed directly through the opening 92 in the heater as sembly90 and has been unaffected by the heating elements 95 and 96. Afterpassing across the motor 67, the reverses reverse direction upon passingaround the lower end of baffle 100 and flows upwardly across the heatingassembly 90 and thence to the annular discharge opening 66 where itexits from the housing 41 and enters the manifold between the outerlayer 22 and inner layer 23 of the hat 21. This arrangement of theheater assembly 90, the motor 67, and the baffles within the housing 41provides an extremely flat and compact arrangement which circulates andheats a large volume of air and discharges the air outwardly of themotor driven blower 40 so as to facilitate circulating the air to thevarious portions of the hat 21.

In order to provide power for the motor 67 and the heating assembly 90,there is provided a power cord 105 which includes a plug 106 suitablefor connection to a conventional utility line outlet. Also included withthe power cord 105 in a position where it is reasonably accessible to,the operator is a three position switch 107 which is shown schematicallyin FIG. 12. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the switch 107 is positionedreasonably close to the hair dryer 20 so that it may be draped over theshoulder of the user in a position where it may be convenientlyoperated. It should be understood that the portion of the cord 105extending from the switch 107 to the plug 106 will normally be ofsubstantial length thus permitting the user to take full advantage ofthe portability of the hair dryer 20. Because of the light 7 weight andthe lack of any dangling hose connections between the hat and the motordriven blower, the hair dryer of the instant invention permits the userto conveniently perform many household tasks, such as ironing, cleaning,dishwashing, and the like even while the hair is being dried.

The inner end of the power cord 105 extends from the switch 107 into thehousing 41 through a strain relief 108, as best shown in FIG. 7. Asuitable opening 109 is formed in the cover portion 42 of the housingwhile a somewhat L-shaped clamping member 110 is secured to the housing41 in a position overlying the cord 105 in the area of the opening 109,as shown in FIG. 7. The outer end of the clamping member 110 is formedwith spaced, parallel legs 111 which straddle the cord 105 and extendthrough opening 112 into engagement with the inside of the cover portionof the housing portion 42. The inner or upper end of the clamping member110 is secured in place by a retaining screw 113 which is in threadedengagement with a hole in the cover portion 42. The clamping member 110is formed with a pair of spaced walls 114 which cooperate with anintermediate wall 1 formed on the cover portion 42 to provide a tortuouspassageway which grips the cord 106 and provides a suitable strainrelief. The three conductors of the cord 105 extending through theopening 109 extend into connection with the heating assembly 90, thethermostat 97, and the rectifier 98, as shown schematically in FIG. 12.

When the motor driven blower 40 is energized causing air to becirculated into the manifold of the hat 21, the portions thereofinflate, as shown in FIGS. 2, 3, and 4 of the drawings. The hat 21 hasthe motor driven blower 40 mounted in the crown portion with the sixmanifold projections 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, and 30 radiating outwardlytherefrom. The fact that the air discharge or outlet 66 of the blower 40extends completely around the housing 41 results in direct delivery ofthe heated air into each of the projections 25 through with a minimumloss in efficiency. As the manifold projections are inflated, they tendto expand inwardly against the head of the user, as shown in FIGS. 3 and4. The sectional view of FIG. 4 is taken through the front and rearinflated manifold projections 28 and 25, respectively. Similarly, thesectional view of FIG. 3 is taken forward of the crown portion throughthe manifold projections 27 and 29 with the more rearwardly locatedmanifold projections 26 and 30 visible in full lines. FIG. 3 and 4 serveto demonstrate the manner in which the manifold projections 25 through30 inflate causing the inner layer 23 of the manifold to snugly enclosethe styled hair of the user. Thus, as the heated air is dischargedthrough the perforation 32, the air passes directly through the hair andis most efficient in performing the drying function.

It should also be noted from FIGS. 3 and 4 that the outer layer 22 ofthe hat 21 billows outwardly raising up the frame 38 which supports themotor driven blower 40. As a consequence, the blower 40 tends to besupported on the cushion of air which inflates the entire manifold areawithin the hat 21. Accordingly, the blower 40 is almost weightless aspositioned on the top of the head and has little or no tendency todisturb the set of styling of the hair.

The hat 21 is made sufficiently large so that it will accommodate any ofthe bouffant hair styles which require setting with enlarged, bulkyrollers. Because of 30, the hat 21 is adapted to accommodate itself toand function properly with less bulky hair styles, such as the one shownin FIGS. 3 and 4. In the case of some children or people with smallheads, however, it may be desired to lessen the size of the bonnetslightly. This may be accomplished easily by use of a pair ofinterengaging snaps 117 and 118 which are secured to the outer layer 22of the hat 21, as is best shown in the sectional view of FIG. 10.Securing the snaps 117 and 118 together reduces the circumference at themouth of the hat by approximately five inches. This provides additionalversatility and permits the hat 21 to function properly on a wide rangeof head sizes and types of hair styles.

As may be readily appreciated, the position of the blower 40 withrespect to the head and hair style will vary considerably depending onthe size of the head and type of hair styling. If the interior of thehat is well filled by hair which has been styled using large, bulkyrollers, there will be less space or opportunity for the manifoldprojections 25 through 30 to inflate in the manner shown in FIGS. 3 and4. Accordingly, there is provided on the bottom wall 60 of the innerhousing portion 43 a cushion or pad 120 which will serve to cushion orsupport the blower 40 with respect to the head of the user. Insituations when the manifold projections 25 through 30 are wellinflated, there will be little or none of the weight of the blower 40resting on the pad 120 and the head. In other instances, however, thelarge size of the head with its styled hair may decrease the inflationof the hat and result in the blower 40 being largely supported by thepad 120.

In considering the flow of air from the blower 40, it is evident thatthe air passes from the outlet 66 in the housing 41 almost directly intothe manifold projections 25 through 30. There is, however, a certainportion of the inner layer 23 which lies directly below the housing 41and it might be thought that there would be a tendency for the pad 120to obstruct passage' of the air through the holes 32 located immediatelybelow the blower 40. In actuality, however, there is a limited amount ofheat which is directed downwardly from the housing 41 thus improving thedrying conditions immediately below the blower 40. As a consequence, thehair immediately below the blower 40 dries at approximately the samerate as the hair elsewhere on the head in spite of the limitedobstruction to air flow which occurs in that area.

There are many advantages accruing from the construction and arrangementof the motor driven blower unit 40 and the hat 21 described above. Theentire assembly is obviously very compact and easy to store as aconsequence of the compact shape of the unit 40 and the central locationof the unit in the crown portion of the hat. In addition, the dischargeof the air from the unit 40 through an annular opening with which theopen ends of the manifold projections communicate directly providesmaximum efficiency for circulating heated air from the blower unit 40 tothe various parts of the head. By minimizing the distance the air musttravel from the blower unit to the discharge openings 32 in the innerlayer, the efficiency of the air delivery system is increased requiringless power and a smaller motor to circulate theheated air.

By contouring the cover portion 42 of the housing 41 to the generalshape of the hat 21, a pleasing appearance is achieved while obtainingthe above mentioned advantages as to efficiency. The inner housingportion 43 of the housing 41 is essentially hidden or obscured when theappliance 20 is in use since it is effectively recessed within theinflated manifold formed by the two layers of the hat 21. Thispositioning of the housing 41 offers the further advantage of reducingor eliminating the weight of unit 40 carried by the head as a result ofthe supporting frame 38 on the outer layer 22 of the hat being elevatedby the inflated manifold so that the unit 40 is supported by the cushionof air in the manifold.

While there have been illustrated and described particular embodimentsof the present invention, it will be appreciated that numerous changesand modifications will occur to those skilled in the art, and it isintended in the appended claims to cover all those changes andmodifications which fall within the true spirit and scope of the presentinvention.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent ofthe United States is:

l. A motor driven blower for use in a portable hair dryer comprising anouter housing portion and an inner housing portion which fit together toform an enclosure for a motor driven fan and an air heater, said innerhousing portion being cup-shaped and supporting therein a motor with itsshaft extending outwardly therefrom and said shaft supporting an axialflow fan in said outer housing portion, air inlet means in said outerhousing portion adjacent said fan, a cylindrical baffle mounted in saidinner housing portion coaxial with said motor and spaced outwardlytherefrom, the inner end of said baffle being spaced from the bottom ofsaid inner housing portion to form an annular air flow passagetherebetween, an annular heater supported adjacent to said baffle andoutwardly thereofto heat air which is circulated upwardly from thebottom of said cup-shaped housing portion outwardly of said baffle, saidcup-shaped inner housing portion having a lip spaced from the outer edgeof said outer housing portion to form an annular opening through whichair is discharged, said annular opening being adjacent to and outwardlyof said annular heater.

2. A motor driven blower for use in a portable hair dryer comprising anouter housing portion and an inner housing portion which fit together toform an enclosure for a motor driven fan and an air heater, said innerhousing portion being cup-shaped and supporting therein a motor with itsshaft extending outwardly therefrom and said shaft supporting an axialflow fan in said outer housing portion, air inlet means in said outerhousing portion adjacent said fan, a cylindrical baffle mounted in saidinner housing portion coaxial with said motor and spaced outwardlytherefrom, the inner end of said baffle being spaced from the bottom ofsaid inner housing portion to form an annular air flow passagetherebetween, an annular heater supported adjacentto said baffle andoutwardly thereof to heat air which is circulated upwardly from thebottom of said cup-shaped housing portion outwardly of said baffle, saidcup-shaped inner housing portion having a lip spaced from the outer edgeof said outer housing portion to form an annular opening through whichair is discharged, said outer and inner housing portions being connectedby a plurality of coaxial pairs of bosses which abut within saidenclosure, assembly means extending within each pair of bosses to securesaid housing portions in assembled relation, said heater having a flatinsulating card which supports an elongated resistance heating elementthereon, said card being received on said bosses to support said heaterwithin said housing, said cylindrical baffle being supported on saidbosses below said heater.

3. A motor driven blower for use in a portable hair dryer comprising anouter housing portion and an inner housing portion which fit together toform an enclosure for a motor driven fan and an air heater, said innerhousing portion being cup-shaped and supporting therein a motor with itsshaft extending outwardly therefrom and said shaft supporting an axialflow fan in said outer housing portion, air inlet means in said outerhousing portion adjacent said fan, a cylindrical baffle mounted in saidinner housing portion coaxial with said motor and spaced outwardlytherefrom, the inner end of said baffle being spaced from the bottom ofsaid inner housing portion to form an annular air flow passagetherebetween, an annular heater supported adjacent to said baffle andoutwardly thereof to heat air which is circulated upwardly from thebottom of, said cup-shaped housing portion outwardly of said baffle,said cup-shaped inner housing portion having a lip spaced from the outeredge of said outer housing portion to form an annular opening throughwhich air is discharged, said motor having upper and lower armaturebearings and a cylindrical frame member and commutator brushes and apermanent magnet field, said inner housing portion being formed at itsbottom wall with a bearing receiving recess within which said lowerarmature bearing is received, said commutator brushes being supported onsaid bottom wall by upwardly extending wall portions, said cylindricalmotor frame member being carried by said bottom wall and supporting saidpermanent magnet field adjacent to said armature, said frame supportingsaid upper armature bearing above said field.

4. 4. The motor driven blower of claim 3 wherein said upwardly extendingwall portions are formed with channel-shaped slots extending radially ofsaid armature shaft and opening inwardly adjacent to a commutatorcarried by said shaft, said brushes and brush biasing springs beingreceived within said slots, and cover plates overlaying said slots toretain said brushes and said springs therein.

5. A motor driven blower comprising first and second housing portionswhich fit together to form an enclosure for a motor driven fan and anair heater, said first housing portion being cup-shaped and supportingtherein a motor with its shaft extending outwardly therefrom and saidshaft supporting a fan in said second housing portion, air inlet meansin said second housing portion adjacent said fan, a cylindrical bafflemounted in said first housing portion coaxial with said motor and spacedoutwardly therefrom, the inner end of said baffle being spaced from thebottom of said first cupshaped housing portion to form an annular airflow passage therebetween, an annular heater supported adjacent to saidbaffle and outwardly thereof to heat air which is circulated outwardlyfrom the bottom of said cup-shaped housing portion outwardly of saidbaffle, said housing portions being spaced to form an annular openingthrough which air is discharged, said annular heater and said annularopening being concentric and positioned in substantially the same place.

6. A motor driven blower comprising first and second housing portionswhich fit together to form an enclosure for a motor driven fan and anair heater, said first housing portion being cup-shaped and supportingtherein a motor with its shaft extending outwardly therefrom said shaftsupporting a fan in said second housing portion, air inlet means in saidsecond housing portion adjacent said fan, a cylindrical baffle mountedin said first housing portion coaxial with said motor and spacedoutwardly therefrom, the inner end of said baffle being spaced from thebottom of said inner housing portion to form an annular air flow passagetherebetween, an annular heater supported adjacent to said baffle andoutwardly thereof to heat air which is circulated outwardly from thebottom of said cup-shaped housing portion outwardly of said baffle, saidhousing portions being spaced to form an annular opening through whichair is discharged, said housing portions being connected by a pluralityof coaxial pairs of bosses which are positioned inwardly of said annularopening and which abut within said enclosure, said annular opening beingcontinuous and unobstructed.

7. A motor driven blower comprising first and second housing portionswhich fit together to form an enclosure for a motor driven fan and anair heater, said first housing portion being cup-shaped and supportingtherein a motor with its shaft extending outwardly therefrom and saidshaft supporting a fan in said second housing portion, air inlet meansin said second housing portion adjacent said fan, a cylindrical bafflemounted in said first housing portion coaxial with said motor and spacedoutwardly therefrom, the inner end of said baffle being spaced from thebottom of said inner housing portion to form an annular air flow passagetherebetween, an annular heater supported adjacent'to said baffle andoutwardly thereof to heat air which is circulated outwardly from thebottom of said cup-shaped housing portion outwardly of said baffle, saidhousing portions being spaced to form an annular opening through whichair is discharged, said motor having upper and lower armature bearingsand a cylindrical frame member and commutator brushes and a pennanentmagnet field, said first housing portion being formed at its bottom wallwith a bearing receiving recess within which said lower armature bearingis received, said commutator brushes being supported on said bottom wallby upwardly extending wall portions, said cylindrical motor frame memberbeing carried by said bottom wall and supporting said permanent magnetfield adjacent to said armature, said frame member supporting said upperarmature bearing above said field.

8. In a generally flat compact air heating and circulating appliance,the combination comprising a motor having an armature shaft on which afan is supported, a motor supporting housing portion and a fan housingportion, said housing portions being assembled together to form ahousing which encloses said motor and fan, said fan housing portionhaving an air inlet disposed axially of said shaft and adjacent to saidfan, an annular air discharge disposed at the periphery of said housingand defined by the spaced edges of said housand fiows out of said motorsupporting housing portion to said annular discharge, and an annularlyshaped heater being disposed between said motor and said discharge toheat air discharged from said housing, said annular heater and saidannular opening being concentric and positioned in substantially thesame plane, said fan housing portion being formed with a cylindricalwall portion which extends inwardly from the housing portion surroundingsaid air inlet to form a fan shroud, a cylindrical air directing bafflesupported in said motor supporting housing portion and positionedcoaxially with said motor and spaced therefrom, one end of said bafflebeing spaced from the bottom of said motor supporting housing portion toform an annular air flow passage for air flowing within said baffle topass outwardly thereof, and said heater is disposed outwardly of saidcylindrical baffle in the path of said flowing outwardly from said motorsupporting housing portion to said discharge.

9. In a generally flat compact air heating and circulating appliance,the combination comprising a motor having an armature shaft on which afan is supported, a motor supporting housing portion and a fan housingportion, said housing portions being assembled together to form ahousing which encloses said motor and fan, said fan housing portionhaving an air inlet disposed axially of said shaft and adjacent to saidfan, an annular air discharge disposed at the periphery of said housingand defined by the spaced edges of said housing portions, air drawn intosaid inlet by said fan being circulated axially across said motor intosaid motor supporting housing portion where it reverses direction andflows out of said motor supporting housing portion to said annulardischarge, and an annularly shaped heater being disposed between saidmotor and said discharge in the path of said air flowing outwardly fromsaid motor supporting housing to heat air discharged from said housing,said fan housing portion being formed with a cylindrical wall portionwhich extends inwardly from the housing portion surrounding said airinlet to form a fan shroud, a cylindrical air directing baffle beingsupported in said motor supporting housing portion and positionedcoaxially with said motor and spaced therefrom, one end of said bafflebeing spaced from the bottom of said motor supporting housing portion toform an annular air flow passage for air flowing within said baffle topass outwardly thereof, said heater being disposed outwardly of saidcylindrical baffle, said shroud and said baffle being of the samediameter and being axially spaced, a portion of the air drawn in by saidfan circulated radially through the space between said shroud and saidbaffle and across said heater to said discharge.

v UNITED STATES PAT ENT" OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No.3,831,000 Dated August 20, 1974 Inventor(s) :Robert S. Waters and RonaldR. Liedtke It is certified that error appears in the above-identifiedpatent and that saidflLett'ers Patent are hereby corrected as shownbelow:

' Column 4, line'27 "ad )a.ted" should be "adapted"; IColumn B; line 4second occurrence of "with" should be I -w h ich-; I I

Column line 31 'end" should be "edge- Column 6, line 41? "re vers esreverse" should,b e. air reverses--;

Column 10,"1i ne 36 after "frame" insert -member-,

J Column l0, line 38 delete first occurrence Qf-" b'f;

Column 10-, line 44 "overlaying" should be "overlying";

Column l0,v line 65 "plece"-should be "plane"; Column 11,, line 4after.--"therefrom" insert f-and--; Column 1 2, line 21 before "flowing"insert -air I Column 12, line 56 after-"fan" insertl being -r I Signedarid sealed this Std-day of December 1974. v

(SEAL) Attest v ;v Attest 8 f Comissioner of Patents 6" Po'wvso I E Q '7g I I uscomA-oc dove-pea UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE "CERTIFICATE OFCORRECTION Patent 1%., 3,831,6 0 Dated August 20, 19 4 v l-( Robert S.Waters-and Ronald R. Liedtk e It is certified that error appears in theabove-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are herebycorrected as shown below:

Column 4, line- 27 "adpated" should be "adapted"; v Column 5, line 4 Isecond occurrence of "with" should be -which Column 6,- line 31 f -'end"should be "edge- 1" 7 Column 6, line 41 4 "reverses reverse" should be-air reverses--;

Column 10, line 36 after "frame" insert -member--,

Column 10, line 38 delete first occurrence of "4 "overlaying" should be"overlying";

Column 10; line 44 Column 10, line 65 "place" should be -p1ane- Column11, line 4 after "therefrom" insert -and--; Column 12, line 21 before"flowing" insert "air";

Column 12, line 56 after-"fan" insert -being-- Signed and sealed this3rd day of December 1974.

(SEAL) Attest:

Meson:aiisfiifilitf 6Z1ARSHALLQQR ttesting Officer Commissioner ofPatents

1. A motor driven blower for use in a portable hair dryer comprising anouter housing portion and an inner housing portion which fit together toform an enclosure for a motor driven fan and an air heater, said innerhousing portion being cup-shaped and supporting therein a motor with itsshaft extending outwardly therefrom and said shaft supporting an axialflow fan in said outer housing portion, air inlet means in said outerhousing portion adjacent said fan, a cylindrical baffle mounted in saidinner housing portion coaxial with said motor and spaced outwardlytherefrom, the inner end of said baffle being spaced from the bottom ofsaid inner housing portion to form an annular air flow passagetherebetween, an annular heater supported adjacent to said baffle andoutwardly thereof to heat air which is circulated upwardly from thebottom of said cup-shaped housing portion outwardly of said baffle, saidcup-shaped inner housing portion having a lip spaced from the outer edgeof said outer housing portion to form an annular opening through whichair is discharged, said annular opening being adjacent to and outwardlyof said annular heater.
 2. A motor driven blower for use in a portablehair dryer comprising an outer housing portion and an inner housingportion which fit together to form an enclosure for a motor driven fanand an air heater, said inner housing portion being cup-shaped andsupporting therein a motor with its shaft extending outwardly therefromand said shaft supporting an axial flow fan in said outer housingportion, air inlet means in said outer housing portion adjacent saidfan, a cylindrical baffle mounted in said inner housing portion coaxialwith said motor and spaced outwardly therefrom, the inner end of saidbaffle being spaced from the bottom of said inner housing portion toform an annular air flow passage therebetween, an annular heatersupported adjacent to said baffle and outwardly thereof to heat airwhich is circulated upwardly from the bottom of said cup-shaped housingportion outwardly of said baffle, said cup-shaped inner housing portionhaving a lip spaced from the outer edge of said outer housing portion toform an annular opening through which air is discharged, said outer andinner housing portions being connected by a plurality of coaxial pairsof bosses which abut within said enclosure, assembly means extendingwithin each pair of bosses to secure said housing portions in assembledrelation, said heater having a flat insulating card which supports anelongated resistance heating element thereon, said card being receivedon said bosses to support said heater within said housing, saidcylindricaL baffle being supported on said bosses below said heater. 3.A motor driven blower for use in a portable hair dryer comprising anouter housing portion and an inner housing portion which fit together toform an enclosure for a motor driven fan and an air heater, said innerhousing portion being cup-shaped and supporting therein a motor with itsshaft extending outwardly therefrom and said shaft supporting an axialflow fan in said outer housing portion, air inlet means in said outerhousing portion adjacent said fan, a cylindrical baffle mounted in saidinner housing portion coaxial with said motor and spaced outwardlytherefrom, the inner end of said baffle being spaced from the bottom ofsaid inner housing portion to form an annular air flow passagetherebetween, an annular heater supported adjacent to said baffle andoutwardly thereof to heat air which is circulated upwardly from thebottom of said cup-shaped housing portion outwardly of said baffle, saidcup-shaped inner housing portion having a lip spaced from the outer edgeof said outer housing portion to form an annular opening through whichair is discharged, said motor having upper and lower armature bearingsand a cylindrical frame member and commutator brushes and a permanentmagnet field, said inner housing portion being formed at its bottom wallwith a bearing receiving recess within which said lower armature bearingis received, said commutator brushes being supported on said bottom wallby upwardly extending wall portions, said cylindrical motor frame memberbeing carried by said bottom wall and supporting said permanent magnetfield adjacent to said armature, said frame supporting said upperarmature bearing above said field.
 4. 4. The motor driven blower ofclaim 3 wherein said upwardly extending wall portions are formed withchannel-shaped slots extending radially of said armature shaft andopening inwardly adjacent to a commutator carried by said shaft, saidbrushes and brush biasing springs being received within said slots, andcover plates overlaying said slots to retain said brushes and saidsprings therein.
 5. A motor driven blower comprising first and secondhousing portions which fit together to form an enclosure for a motordriven fan and an air heater, said first housing portion beingcup-shaped and supporting therein a motor with its shaft extendingoutwardly therefrom and said shaft supporting a fan in said secondhousing portion, air inlet means in said second housing portion adjacentsaid fan, a cylindrical baffle mounted in said first housing portioncoaxial with said motor and spaced outwardly therefrom, the inner end ofsaid baffle being spaced from the bottom of said first cup-shapedhousing portion to form an annular air flow passage therebetween, anannular heater supported adjacent to said baffle and outwardly thereofto heat air which is circulated outwardly from the bottom of saidcup-shaped housing portion outwardly of said baffle, said housingportions being spaced to form an annular opening through which air isdischarged, said annular heater and said annular opening beingconcentric and positioned in substantially the same place.
 6. A motordriven blower comprising first and second housing portions which fittogether to form an enclosure for a motor driven fan and an air heater,said first housing portion being cup-shaped and supporting therein amotor with its shaft extending outwardly therefrom said shaft supportinga fan in said second housing portion, air inlet means in said secondhousing portion adjacent said fan, a cylindrical baffle mounted in saidfirst housing portion coaxial with said motor and spaced outwardlytherefrom, the inner end of said baffle being spaced from the bottom ofsaid inner housing portion to form an annular air flow passagethere-between, an annular heater supported adjacent to said baffle andoutwardly thereof to heat air which is circulated outwardly from thebottom of said cup-shaped housing portion outwardly of said baffle, saidhousing porTions being spaced to form an annular opening through whichair is discharged, said housing portions being connected by a pluralityof coaxial pairs of bosses which are positioned inwardly of said annularopening and which abut within said enclosure, said annular opening beingcontinuous and unobstructed.
 7. A motor driven blower comprising firstand second housing portions which fit together to form an enclosure fora motor driven fan and an air heater, said first housing portion beingcup-shaped and supporting therein a motor with its shaft extendingoutwardly therefrom and said shaft supporting a fan in said secondhousing portion, air inlet means in said second housing portion adjacentsaid fan, a cylindrical baffle mounted in said first housing portioncoaxial with said motor and spaced outwardly therefrom, the inner end ofsaid baffle being spaced from the bottom of said inner housing portionto form an annular air flow passage there-between, an annular heatersupported adjacent to said baffle and outwardly thereof to heat airwhich is circulated outwardly from the bottom of said cup-shaped housingportion outwardly of said baffle, said housing portions being spaced toform an annular opening through which air is discharged, said motorhaving upper and lower armature bearings and a cylindrical frame memberand commutator brushes and a permanent magnet field, said first housingportion being formed at its bottom wall with a bearing receiving recesswithin which said lower armature bearing is received, said commutatorbrushes being supported on said bottom wall by upwardly extending wallportions, said cylindrical motor frame member being carried by saidbottom wall and supporting said permanent magnet field adjacent to saidarmature, said frame member supporting said upper armature bearing abovesaid field.
 8. In a generally flat compact air heating and circulatingappliance, the combination comprising a motor having an armature shafton which a fan is supported, a motor supporting housing portion and afan housing portion, said housing portions being assembled together toform a housing which encloses said motor and fan, said fan housingportion having an air inlet disposed axially of said shaft and adjacentto said fan, an annular air discharge disposed at the periphery of saidhousing and defined by the spaced edges of said housing portions, airdrawn into said inlet by said fan being circulated axially across saidmotor into said motor supporting housing portion where it reversesdirection and flows out of said motor supporting housing portion to saidannular discharge, and an annularly shaped heater being disposed betweensaid motor and said discharge to heat air discharged from said housing,said annular heater and said annular opening being concentric andpositioned in substantially the same plane, said fan housing portionbeing formed with a cylindrical wall portion which extends inwardly fromthe housing portion surrounding said air inlet to form a fan shroud, acylindrical air directing baffle supported in said motor supportinghousing portion and positioned coaxially with said motor and spacedtherefrom, one end of said baffle being spaced from the bottom of saidmotor supporting housing portion to form an annular air flow passage forair flowing within said baffle to pass outwardly thereof, and saidheater is disposed outwardly of said cylindrical baffle in the path ofsaid flowing outwardly from said motor supporting housing portion tosaid discharge.
 9. In a generally flat compact air heating andcirculating appliance, the combination comprising a motor having anarmature shaft on which a fan is supported, a motor supporting housingportion and a fan housing portion, said housing portions being assembledtogether to form a housing which encloses said motor and fan, said fanhousing portion having an air inlet disposed axially of said shaft andadjacent to said fan, an annular air discharge disposed at the peripheryof said housing and defined by the spacEd edges of said housingportions, air drawn into said inlet by said fan being circulated axiallyacross said motor into said motor supporting housing portion where itreverses direction and flows out of said motor supporting housingportion to said annular discharge, and an annularly shaped heater beingdisposed between said motor and said discharge in the path of said airflowing outwardly from said motor supporting housing to heat airdischarged from said housing, said fan housing portion being formed witha cylindrical wall portion which extends inwardly from the housingportion surrounding said air inlet to form a fan shroud, a cylindricalair directing baffle being supported in said motor supporting housingportion and positioned coaxially with said motor and spaced therefrom,one end of said baffle being spaced from the bottom of said motorsupporting housing portion to form an annular air flow passage for airflowing within said baffle to pass outwardly thereof, said heater beingdisposed outwardly of said cylindrical baffle, said shroud and saidbaffle being of the same diameter and being axially spaced, a portion ofthe air drawn in by said fan circulated radially through the spacebetween said shroud and said baffle and across said heater to saiddischarge.